Reviews & Assurance Officer
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Salary: £29,923 per annum
Band: UKRI Band C
Team: Quality Assurance, Reviews & Operations (QARO) Team
Hours: Full time
Contract Type: Open Ended.
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid Working available
Closing Date: Monday 4th August 2025
As Reviews & Assurance Officer you will provide effective and proactive administrative support to deliver the programme of reviews of large investments (including institutes & units) and support the annual assurance process as well as other projects.
Responsibilities
Support the delivery of large investment review projects:
* Serve as the central point of contact for your assigned reviews, proactively monitoring and driving forward the actions required including:
o Organising internal and external meetings.
o Drafting, collating and circulating electronic papers for meetings.
o Requesting, gathering and collating peer review comments from international experts.
o Collaborating with and upwardly managing multiple internal colleagues and external stakeholders throughout the process to keep activities on track.
o Securing venues and accommodation for international panels where required.
o Attending and supporting review meetings.
o Project managing activities to ensure that each project delivers to the agreed timeline.
o Organising and prioritising actions in order to progress multiple projects simultaneously.
o Liaising with a wide range of people, both internally and externally, responding to queries and providing clear advice.
Support the delivery of the annual assurance programme for large investments:
* Scheduling and organising meetings (including the coordination and collation of associated papers).
* Requesting, gathering and collating annual reports and returns from large investments and checking their completion.
* Ensuring annual returns are appropriately stored on electronic systems.
* Proactively monitoring and progressing actions required to keep projects on track.
Administration and records management:
* Generating a robust audit trail, ensuring the efficient organisation of documents within the agreed file structures on the electronic records management system in line with current policies.
* Providing support to other team members in general administrative tasks and when workloads peak.
* Supporting issue resolution and problem solving.
The above lists are not exhaustive, and the post holder is required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be requested within the scope of the post. All employees are required to act professionally, cooperatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the policies of MRC (UKRI).
Additional information
The post holder will be required to attend meetings (up to 3-4 per year) which require UK travel and overnight stays (~ 2 nights). Site visits are planned in advance and longer than normal working hours will be required on these visits.
Personal Specification
The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).
Education / Qualifications / Training required:
Essential:
* A-level qualifications (or equivalent qualification or work experience) (S)
* English and Maths GCSE at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent qualification) (S)
Previous work experience required:
Essential:
* Experience of working in an administrative role (S)
* Experience of arranging meetings (on a small and larger scale) (S&I)
* Experience of preparing and circulating agendas and meeting papers (S&I)
Knowledge and experience:
Essential:
* Competent in using Microsoft applications and constructing PDFs in Adobe Acrobat (S)
* Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to present information in a clear and succinct way (S&I)
* Excellent attention to detail (S&I)
* Ability to organise own workload and deliver to tight timescales including ability to prioritise/re-prioritise to deliver on time (I)
* Confident in dealing with people at all levels and a willingness to upwardly manage (I)
* Ability to work both independently and as part of a larger team (I)
* Demonstrable problem-solving skills, with the ability to contribute to ongoing process improvements within the team (I)
* Willingness to travel to MRC Sites. (I)
Please note that applications must include both a CV and a cover letter that clearly addresses the essential criteria. Incomplete applications may not be considered.
Working relationships:
Reports to: Senior Reviews Officer
The post holder will be expected to build effective working relationships with colleagues across MRC Head Office and relevant external large investments.
Benefits
We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning!
A list of benefits below:
* An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme
* 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent)
* Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities
* Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice
* Flexible working options
Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!
For further information on our benefits please see:
Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org
UKRI - UK Research and Innovation
UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.
Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.
More information can be found at www.ukri.org .
Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI .
How we support EDI in the workforce
At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit 'How we support EDI in the workforce'.
Disability Confident Employer
As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
How to apply
Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application.
UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.
The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.
Within UKRI, the MRC seeks to improve human health by investing in world-class research, from fundamental science to early clinical trials and preventive medicine. Working in partnership with other UKRI councils, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and devolved administrations, the NHS, charities and industry, we are a dynamic organisation continually evolving and embracing new opportunities to achieve our mission first framed over a century ago. With an annual budget of over £800m, MRC provides support both to individuals, through fellowships and grants, and to institutions, such as the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology and the Francis Crick Institute.
For more information about MRC, please click here